Mental Health

Research on mental health and suicide is constantly taking place all over the world. Here are a few articles and studies that we at the Shaka Franklin Foundation found particularly interesting and informative.

Implicit Associations Test

Current research on suicide prevention has found that implicit associations between self words and death words (see linked article) has been an effective measure of how likely a person is to actually commit suicide. To read more about the research done on this type of mental health measurement, click here.

If you would like to take a Mental Health Implicit Associations Test, follow this link.

PTSD Research

Past research has shown that witnessing a traumatic event increases the likelihood that the individual will attempt suicide. Traumatic events have a variety of impacts on the people who experience them, and may lead to the development of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As more people are being diagnosed with PTSD (note – this may simply be because we know more about the disorder, not that more people are being affected by traumatic events), more extensive research has been conducted regarding the disorder. To learn more about PTSD and the research supporting a linkage between PTSD and suicide, click here.

If you know someone who has been diagnosed with PTSD, the American Psychological Association has posted an article discussing how families can help their loved ones cope with this disorder. Find more information here.

Anti-Depression Medication

Over the past few years, copious amounts of research have been done on anti-depression medications and their affects on the body and brain. A few studies have suggested that children on anti-depressive medication have an increased risk of suicide. However, research is now surfacing that contradicts these studies, claiming that there is no increased risk of suicide for children taking anti-depressive medications. One of the following articles was posted in 2007 while the other was posted in 2014, and they both address this current issue.